Young Women’s Trust is calling on employers to commit to advertising all jobs with salary details, to stop asking applicants about their salary history and to publish their parental leave policies to help close the gender pay gap. The call comes as a new YouGov survey for Young Women’s Trust has revealed that 40% of HR managers say that jobs in their organisation are often advertised without details of the salary level. Often, this means that the wage will be based on the new employee’s previous salary, so if they were being underpaid that will continue in their new role. The lack of salary transparency can also make it impossible for employees to know if they are paid less than counterparts who are doing the identical role.
Young Women’s Trust is also calling for employers to publish their parental leave policies, so that prospective employees considering having children aren’t faced with asking difficult questions before applying or at an interview, which may count against them. The new YouGov research for the charity also found that almost 1 in 5 (19%) of HR managers disagreed that their organisation makes details of its parental leave and pay entitlements publicly available to all potential job applicants.
Joe Levenson, Director of Communications and Campaigns at Young Women’s Trust said:
“While it has been illegal in the UK for over 50 years for women to be paid less than men for equal work, there remain considerable inequalities when it comes to pay. That’s why we are urging employers to publish all jobs with salary details and to stop asking job applicants how much they already earn. Instead, by including both salary details and parental leave policies in job adverts, employers can help ensure women are not underpaid and those who are parents know what support is available without having to ask. It really shouldn’t be controversial to bring about salary transparency, unless that is employers have something to hide.”
The independent Show the Salary campaign, which is calling for pay transparency within the charity sector added:
“Salary secrecy perpetuates pay gaps, hitting those who are more likely to be underpaid – for example, women, disabled and Black candidates – hardest. If organisations are serious about diversity, equality and inclusion then they must end these discriminatory practices. People have a right to know what a role pays before deciding whether to spend time applying for it. They deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do, and in-line with their colleagues in similar roles. This isn’t radical. It’s time for organisations to take the simplest of actions and #ShowTheSalary.”
Note to editors
- Young Women’s Trust commissioned YouGov to conduct a survey of HR decision-makers. All figures, unless otherwise stated are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 862 junior managers and above working within HR/operations/management. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11 and 17 February 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of the UK business population by size and sector. The findings show that:
- 40% of HR managers agree jobs in their organisation are often advertised without details of the salary level
- 19% of HR managers disagreed that their organisation makes details of its parental leave and pay entitlements publicly available to all potential job applicants
